The working trip came at the invitation of the Chelyabinsk Region Governor Boris Dubrovsky, who heads the Working Group to Prepare the State Council Meeting on Environmental Development of the Russian Federation in the Interests of Future Generations.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoy, and Head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources Artem Sidorov also travelled to Chelyabinsk.
The visitors toured facilities in the city and its surroundings that pose environmental problems, and visited large enterprises that significantly impact the urban environment, such as the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant, Mechel-Koks, and the Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant.
The delegation members met with representatives of large industrial enterprises in Chelyabinsk and discussed the implementation of environmental legislation.
During the discussion, participants pointed to the need to make businesses more environmentally responsible, and to establish a constructive dialogue between executive authorities, society and business. The purpose of this dialogue will be to find mutually acceptable ways to improve environmental conditions by establishing actual discharge and emission rates, introducing a transparent approval process, and providing state assistance to introduce the best available technology.